The Jewel of the Haruno Clan
by Midnight Angel Sakura
Summary: His nephew snorted. "The Haruno clan? Why are you wasting your time with them? That pink haired girl is the only strong one among those weaklings." "You naive, little fool!" his uncle snapped. "That clan holds a power far greater than you know." Pairings: SasuSaku (main), NaruHina (side).
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back with a new story! It takes place in the Naruto Universe and contains a bit of supernatural. In this story Sasuke's back and everything is all good, well in my mind lol. Anyway, I will twist things to fit my story if necessary this includes characters that are not a part of the Naruto universe. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only own this idea. **

**Full Summary: **His nephew snorted. "The Haruno clan? Why are you wasting your time with them? That pink haired girl is the only strong one among those weaklings." "You naive, little fool!" his uncle snapped. "That clan holds a power far greater than you know."

"My lady," the green Kappa started. "The waters are greatly disturbed."

"It has begun my child, the search for the jewel," Ame-No-Mi Kumari stated as she watched the roaring waves thrash against everything in sight. "Bring Yoshie to me."

"Yes, my Lady."

Pairings: Sasuke+Sakura (Main), Naruto+Hinata

_'Thoughts'_

"Talking"

* * *

"My lady," the green Kappa started. "The waters are greatly disturbed."

"It has begun my child, the search for the jewel," Ame-No-Mi Kumari stated as she watched the roaring waves thrash against everything in sight. "Bring Yoshie to me."

"Yes, my Lady."

_'So after all these years, he is finally making a move to try to seize the jewel once again.'_

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sakura's hand glowed green against Sasuke's chest and he watched her eyes lit up in concentration. She was so close to him, practically almost sitting in his lap as she healed his open wounds. One hand rested on his shoulder to steady her as she checked for any other injuries. Her bangs were slightly brushing against his and he took the time to fully examine her face. The crinkling of her brow, the occasional biting of her lip, and the way her eyes sparkled all entranced him. He had the strong feeling to and wanted to inch his face closer to hers, but refrained from doing so.

"There you go Sasuke-kun. All fixed," she said pulling back slightly. She blushed once she noticed how close they really were and pulled away quickly.

"Fix me next!" Naruto said a few feet away from Sasuke.

"Your wounds are already healed because of Kurama," the pinkette stated and Naruto pouted. "Well, let's have another round of training." Sakura rolled her eyes but agreed. "HEY SAI COME TRAIN WITH US!" the blonde yelled.

"I'll just go get him," Sakura said while standing up. She walked over to the boy who was busy sketching under the tree.

"You like her. No wait, correction! You love her!" Naruto sang as he looked at Sasuke who was watching Sakura. Sasuke's head spun away from the girl so fast, Naruto thought it might fall off. "You love her, you wanna kiss her, you wanna marry her, and have babies. Don't forget to name one after me!"

"I will never name our kid after you," Sasuke said thoughtlessly, not even wanting to entertain the thought.

"Haha," Naruto said pointing his finger at him. "I knew it! I knew you loved her! I knew it! I knew it!"

"Shut up Dobe," Sasuke said, pushing Naruto's face into the ground as he walked by to get to the training field. Naruto laughed as he noticed the red on Sasuke's cheeks as the boy walked away from him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

_'Damn, what is it? Gang up on Sakura day?' _the pinkette thought as she swung herself up onto a tree branch. She spotted Sai a distance off, getting ready to send ink beasts her way and she heard Sasuke summoning his Chidori from about twenty feet behind her. _'One, two, where's three?' _She listened closely, trying to pinpoint where Naruto would be and what direction he would be coming from.

"Shit," she cursed, hearing the ink beasts roar loudly near her. She was so preoccupied with finding the blonde that she failed to notice Sai summoning his beasts. The shrill of birds could be heard closing in on her too and she cursed again about to dodge, but the skies overhead darkened and thunder boomed loudly in the background before a downpour of heavy rain fell, washing away Sai's ink summons. Sakura managed to avoid Sasuke's attack at the last minute by quickly sidestepping, plastering herself against the tree trunk.

She grabbed his wrist and was about to throw him, but a kunai was pressed against her throat. She looked behind her to see Naruto coming out from the tree trunk behind her. Moving quickly, her free hand grabbed Naruto's and pulled it away before delivering a hard kick backwards, causing the tree trunk to crack all the way through. Letting the blonde's hand go, she launched off the falling tree and using the momentum, flung Sasuke across the field.

_'Good, everyone's in the open.' _Sakura was about to release an earth-shattering punch, but the rain overhead poured harder, covering the area in white and soaking her to the bone. The droplets felt like pin pricks and was ice cold.

"Let's call it a day," Naruto hollered, his bright orange suit barely visible.

"Sounds good to me," Sakura yelled back. "What is this? A storm?" the pinkette asked once everyone managed to huddle up under a tree.

"I can't see anything!" Naruto yelled over the downpour. Even Sasuke's grunt of agreement was louder than usual. "Who's house is the closest?"

"Sakura's," Sasuke replied.

"Let's go!"

"How are we suppose to get to my house if we can't even see three feet in front of us?" the pinkette asked but the blonde ignored her.

"It can't be that hard to find."

"You're going the wrong way Dobe," Sasuke said.

"Ehehehe, I knew that. I was just testing you guys."

"Just come on," Sasuke said leading the way.

"Shouldn't I be the one leading us to my house?" Sakura muttered to herself. Sasuke managed to hear the girl's thoughts from beside him and smirked.

"Woah, you can't even see the houses good!" Naruto exclaimed once they stepped foot into town. "Hey guys, wait up!" The blonde hurried to catch up to them and accidentally bumped into Sakura who bumped into Sasuke.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Naruto! You made me bump into Sasuke-kun."

"Sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto said sheepishly. "I couldn't see you guys clearly. Besides, mister grumpy pants probably didn't mind."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him, ignoring his wiggling eyebrows and suggestive smiles. "Stop doing that," she said.

"Are we there yet?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're supposed to know where your house is."

"Yeah, well, do you even know where we are right now?" she shot back.

"Uhhhh, no."

"Then shut up."

Sasuke was glad for the silence. He calculated that in the next five or so minutes they should be right in front of Sakura's house.

"Yo Teme, I have a question for you," Naruto began. Hearing no response from the dark haired boy made him continue. "How do _you _know where to find Sakura's house in all this mess even when she can't?"

The pinkette perked up at this, curious to hear the answer. Really, how is it that he knew exactly where to go in this weather even without activating his Sharingan. Sakura squinted up at his face, trying to get a good look and noticed the color red on the raven head's cheeks, but she disregarded it as the marks left behind by the constant onslaught of the harsh raindrops.

"Hn."

"Ohoho, are you not telling me because Sakura's right here?" the blonde asked teasingly.

"C'mon," Sasuke said, grabbing Sakura's arm and pulling her farther away from Naruto.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME!"

"Naruto, is that what you call liking someone?" Sai asked from beside Naruto.

"Sai!" Naruto exclaimed. "I totally forgot you were there."

"Don't you always?"

"Noooo, and the answer to your question will have to wait. We can't lose Teme and Sakura-chan."

-Huff huff huff-

"How can you just leave us like that? Don't you care? You're such a heartless bastard Teme!" Naruto yelled now standing on the doorstep of Sakura' house.

"It seems like he cares only for Sakura. He led her all the way here while holding her hand," Sai stated.

"Sai, that is not hand holding," Naruto explained. "And secondly,-Hey! Sakura-chan, don't close the door on us! Hey open up! How come Teme gets to go inside?! SAKURA-CHAAAANNNN."

"Will you answer my question now?" the inky haired boy asked.

"YES SAI!" Naruto answered before banging on the door.

"Yes you will answer it or yes is the answer?"

Naruto banged his head against the door. "I meant that the answer to your question is yes but in this case it runs much deeper."

Sai pondered over this for a little while before taking out a book entitled _'When a Guy Loves a Girl'._

"Sakura, I demand you open this door young lady. You better not be having sex with Sasuke in there!"

"What did you say?" she asked furiously as the door flung open. She pulled up her sleeve and was about to punch him. "Narutooooo!"

"Wait, wait, I was just kidding. If you punch me away, how am I suppose to find the house?"

" I could send you to Hinata's," she said sickeningly sweet.

"Really?" the blonde asked excitedly.

"Her house is in that direction." Sakura pointed out into the distance, her arm still ready to launch the boy.

"Never mind. Please let me inside Sakura-chan," Naruto begged, dropping down on his knees and wrapping his arms around her legs. He looked up at her and his chin rested against her knee. "I'm sowwy. It was just a liwwle joke."

Sakura felt herself being pulled back out of Naruto's grip, her back softly hitting against something solid.

"What d'ya do that for Teme?" Naruto asked, looking up from the floor.

"Hn," the raven-head said, narrowing his eyes at Naruto in warning.

"All right, all right, I get it, I get it," the blonde said while standing up. "You don't want me touching her," he muttered. "Can we come in now?" he asked.

Sakura allowed him to enter and Sai followed behind with his nose in his book.

"Just wait right here," she said. "I don't want water all over the house."

"But how come Teme gets to sit all comfortable on the couch?"

"Because he already changed out of his wet clothes. Now just stay here." Sakura disappeared and came back a few minutes later with two towels and extra clothing. "I hope they fit. They use to be my dad's when he was around our age."

"Thanks Sakura-chan!" Naruto accepted the clothes and Sakura let him go to the bathroom to change.

Once he emerged, he plopped down on the couch next to his best friend while Sai disappeared into the bathroom.

"How long do you think this is gonna last for?" He asked watching lightning light up the sky.

"I don't know," Sakura replied as Sasuke shoved Naruto away from him.

The lights above flickered and Sakura got up immediately. "I'll go get some candles and lamps ready just in case."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, getting up as well.

"Naruto go and get Sai."

"But Sakura-chaaaaan."

The pinkette glared at the boy. "Fine," he whined out, sluggishly dragging himself to the bathroom to retrieve Sai. Sakura rolled her eyes at his childish behavior.

The lights flickered again and Sakura hurried into the kitchen with Sasuke following calmly behind her. The girl opened a drawer near the refrigerator and reached in with her right hand to grab a box of matches, only to quickly pull her hand back. "Itai," she muttered, watching the blood seep out freely from the cut on her index finger. The girl briefly ignored her finger and looked in the drawer for the cause of her cut. She glared at the four sided grater that was shining brightly at her.

As she was reaching in with her other hand to grab the matches, Sasuke took hold of her right hand and brought it up to his face to inspect the cut. The pinkette blushed at his actions and tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but he looked at her in warning. She looked away from him and retrieved the box of matches, setting it on the counter.

"It's just a small cut-" she began to say but abruptly stopped talking when she felt his thumb glide over the wound. She looked at him curiously with a light pink dusting her cheeks. She wanted to ask him what he was doing but bit her lip instead. "I could just heal this and we could just finish getting the-" she cut herself off in shock as she watched him enclose her finger with his mouth. She felt him sucking at the wound for a couple of seconds and then it was over like nothing ever happened. Like he didn't suck on her finger, like he didn't make her blush, and like he didn't turn her insides into goo.

Recovering from what he did to her, the pinkette walked to the opposite side of the kitchen to retrieve the candles from the bottom cabinet. The lamps were high out of her reach and would require her to either use a stepping ladder or to climb on top of the counter to get them, and she definitely was not going to climb on top of the counter in front of Sasuke. Instead, she settled on staring up at them from where she stood.

Warmth engulfed her suddenly as Sasuke came to stand behind her, his chest slightly touching her back. The girl tensed slightly, but watched as his arms stretched above her to grab two kerosene lamps. She thanked him as he set them down in front of her and he 'hn-ed' in response.

Abruptly, the lights went out and a loud boom of thunder was heard. Lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the room briefly. Sakura lit one of the lamps before lighting all the candles she had grabbed earlier. "Let's go put these around the house," she told Sasuke. Naruto's sudden cry and quick footsteps heading in the direction of the kitchen stopped Sakura in her tracks and made her raise one of her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Sakura-chaaaan," Naruto whined, jumping onto the girl. "Sai is scaring me!"

"Dobe." Sasuke's voice was dark and menacing. He hit the boy on the head hard, causing the blonde to let go of Sakura and sink to the floor while nursing the new lump on his head.

"But Sai was telling me about this really freaky ghost!" Naruto complained to Sasuke who glared at him. The blonde pouted and held his hands up in surrender.

"Naruto, get off the floor," Sakura said, leaving the room with all the candles, only leaving behind the lit lamp on the countertop.

"It's Teme's fault." Naruto heard his bestfriend growl at him. "Ok, ok, me no touchy Sakura-chan. Sheesh, possessive much."

The raven-haired boy stopped his growling and stepped over Naruto.

"Guys don't leave me alone! Sai said she comes when it's dark!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Rio."

"Yes, my Lady?" the green Kappa answered.

"Has Yoshie left already?"

"Yes, my Lady," the child size reptilian answered.

"When the time is near, you will go out to retrieve what is suppose to come to me."

"Yes my Lady."

Ame-No-Mi Kumari watched as the beautiful docks and cliffs were battered by the horrible waves.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Tsunade-sama, Tsunade-sama," Shizune frantically yelled bursting through the doors.

"What? What is it?" the Hokage asked, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune said in a calmer tone. The Hokage sat up straighter and watched as the black-haired woman moved aside to allow someone to enter.

"Greetings Slug Princess."

"You," the Hokage began. "Shizune! Close the door!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The flickering lights in the small house finally cut off and the two men were plunged into darkness.

"Kira, bring a light," Nozomu commanded. The brown haired boy retrieved the oil lamp from the shelf in the study and brought it to the table.

"What is this?" the boy asked as he viewed all the papers and scrolls scattered across the table.

"The Haruno clan."

His nephew snorted. "The Haruno clan? Why are you wasting your time with them? That pink haired girl is the only strong one among those weaklings."

"You naive, little fool!" his uncle snapped. "That clan holds a power far greater than you know."

* * *

**Here's the first chapter! Please let me know what you think by reviewing. I would love to hear your thoughts on this new story. :)**

**Index:**

**Ame-No-Mi Kumari - Japanese water goddess**

**Kappa - A child-size yokai with scaly, reptilian skin. **

**Yoshie - beautiful river**

**Rio - river**

**Nozomu - desire**

**Kira - dark**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! So in this chapter I did add in some things concerning the supernatural aspect. I also kinda twisted some things. As usual notes will be at the end of the chapter. **

* * *

_Previously..._

The flickering lights in the small house finally cut off and the two men were plunged into darkness.

"Kira, bring a light," Nozomu commanded. The brown haired boy retrieved the oil lamp from the shelf in the study and brought it to the table.

"What is this?" the boy asked curiously as he viewed all the papers and scrolls scattered across the table.

"The Haruno clan."

His nephew snorted. "The Haruno clan? Why are you wasting your time with them? That pink haired girl is the only strong one among those weaklings."

"You naive, little fool!" his uncle snapped. "That clan holds a power far greater than you know."

_Now..._

The boy scoffed. "Since when?"

Nozomu grabbed the scroll Kira picked up and commanded the boy to sit. "Twenty years ago," he began, staring down at the papers which held scribbled notes here and there, "the Hokage sent a four man team of shinobi on a mission near the Land of Waves to retrieve stolen scrolls."

"What's the big deal? Scrolls get stolen all the time." Nozomu glared at the boy and Kira shut his mouth. "Continue then."

"The leader of the team was Kenta Haruno, the grandfather of that girl you mentioned. The group they were pursuing were composed of rogue Rain and Mist shinobi who had banded together to steal forbidden scrolls from the Five Great Nations. A month into the mission, both teams arrived at a small, unknown village. Kenta and his squad retrieved both scrolls easily on that day, but several days later there was no news from them and they never returned home. Tracker squads were sent out as well as Anbu teams, but there was no sign of Kenta and his squad anywhere. No scent, no markings, no belongings left behind; nothing to go by to tell that the squad was ever there. It was like they disappeared.

"Four months. That's how long they were reported missing. No form of communication at all. The Hokage, without any leads, resorted to sending out the team of Legendary Sannin to look for them. One week passed and no information was found about the whereabouts of the missing squadron. Another two days passed too and something unusual happened. The Sannin also seemingly "disappeared" for five days. When the Hokage finally heard word from them, Kenta including his squadron appeared. Strange isn't it? That one of the best squadrons of that time went missing for four months without a trace only to reappear again suddenly.

"It is said that the village that they wandered upon is governed by a great water goddess. Shrines and temples litter the area, and where the squadron had disappeared was close to the main temple within the village."

"So you're saying that something supernatural happened?" Kira asked, leaning back in his seat, hands folded behind his head.

"The ancient stories said that the water goddess, Ame-No-Mi Kumari, had in her possession a jewel more powerful than any human being could imagine. It was forged by her grandfather, Izanagi, in one of the rivers that his son Minato-No-Kami controlled. Using a sliver of the great power his granddaughter controlled and the blue flames of one of the offspring of Watatsumi, as well as his own power, he created the jewel underwater in one of the shrines that was built for Ame-No-Mi Kumari by the villagers." Nozomu walked across the room to grab an old withered book from the bookcase. He opened it carefully to a mark page as Kira coughed at the dust the book spread into the air.

"Man how old is that thing?" he asked, getting up to take a look at what his uncle was looking at. He gave a low whistle at the jewel on the page.

"This is the jewel made by Izanagi," Nozomu said.

"That's some jewel," Kira responded. "But how do you know if it even exists now?"

"Because I saw it." The boy looked questioningly at his uncle who started his tale again.

"I was a shinobi of that group of rogue ninja who went around stealing scrolls. After the defeat we faced, our numbers were less than one fourth of the original group. Luckily, I was found by an elderly man who took pity on me and nursed me back to health. During my healing time, I never knew what happened to Kenta and his team. I did, however, hear talk about the water goddess. I witnessed a couple ceremonies to her, including one about the jewel. I started gathering intel about it from various villagers and decided to see for myself if it was real. I searched high and low for the jewel and found no trace of it. Visiting shrines and temples and talking to priests, I finally knew where it was. The jewel was still in the possession of Ame-No-Mi Kumari who never passed it on to anyone.

"One day, I came across this book," he said gesturing to the object, "in an abandoned library and took it. It held more information about the jewel than I received from any villager. And one day I saw it, dangling on a gleaming chain on Kenta Haruno's neck. I was wandering around the village when I heard villagers suddenly cheering. Looking out over the crowd, Kenta and his squadron and the Sannin where walking down the main street away from the temple. I saw it in all its glory then."

"So what happened?" Kira asked, genuinely intrigued now.

"After that I never saw it again, but I did go after Kenta who after learning about my intentions disappeared again. I never knew where he went or if he went back to that village. Five years later, however, it was reported that he died. All I can surmise is that the jewel is probably in the care of his family, or more specifically his granddaughter, Haruno Sakura."

"Why wait all these years to go after it then?"

"Information takes a while to gather and conclusions are drawn slowly. That jewel can be anywhere—with the goddess, buried with Kenta, returned to the village, or in the possession of his granddaughter. There are many possibilities, but I believe that he might have chosen to pass it on to someone in his family before he left this world. It's the only possibility that's left from what I can see. I spent years in that village hoping for the jewel's return. Never did the villagers mention that they had it back in their possession. For all they knew, it was now lost. And never did Kenta wander into that village during my stay there.

"Furthermore, Kenta's body has been buried and guarded heavily by the clan's secrets. There is no possible way for me to check without being caught. I doubt that they would let that precious gem be buried with him. People in this world are greedy. And since there is no way to contact the goddess, there is no sure way of knowing if it has been returned to her. But from the information I gathered from the village, it seems the jewel has not returned for there has not been a jewel ceremony for years since it left it's master."

Kira thought about it. "But if the jewel was to return, how would the villagers know?"

"The priests and monks are so in-tuned with the water deity that they would sense the jewel's reappearance and declare it to the village before most likely having a celebration."

"I see," Kira stated. "But you are no longer in the village. How are you so sure the jewel hasn't been returned?"

"My dear child, you think I would not have any connections to that village? There is an informant posing as a merchant in that village. He hears the gossip and the daily news."

"I would like to get this jewel in our possession though," Kira stated, smiling greedily at the object on the old, worn out page. "When does the search begin?"

"Soon, Kira, soon."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Mmmm, this is so relaxing," Ino stated as she sank into the hot water of the bathhouse.

"I'm so happy they re-opened. That storm really did a number on this place," Tenten mentioned as Sakura nodded in agreement.

"That storm was weird though," Sakura commented.

"It came out of nowhere," Hinata mumbled.

The pinkette folded her arms across her chest as she sank down into the water, her back leaning against the side of the tub.

"Are you covering them up?" Ino asked moving over to the girl.

"Huh?" Sakura asked, interrupted from thinking about Sasuke and her cut.

"Those," Ino said, pointing to the girl's chest.

"Oh, no, I wasn't. I was just thinking is all," the pinkette replied.

"Oh ok, because, damn girl, you grew into those or they grew into you or however you say it."

"Stop it," Sakura said, slightly embarrassed before unconsciously settling back into the water. Ino's statement had her remembering an outing with Tsunade and Shizune.

_Flashback..._

_"Waiter , another drink!" Tsunade slurred out, slamming the ceramic cup onto the tabletop. _

_"Tsunade-sama," Shizune interrupted, nervously watching the blonde woman sway slightly from side to side. _

_Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura were at their usual restaurant and bar that they visited weekly, sitting in a booth close to the back of the place._

_"Calm down Shizune," Tsunade slurred as an almost tipsy Sakura nodded in agreement._

_"Ah, take a seat and have a drink with us," the pinkette said before downing a cup of sake. _

_"You know Sakura, you remind me of myself," the busty blonde said as the waiter delivered five more bottles to their table._

_"How so?" the girl asked. _

_"You're a miniature version of me. Short-tempered, boy problems, violent. It sums up just some of the things we have in common."_

_"I see," the pinkette said._

_"And don't worry," she said as the pinkette looked at her in confusion. "I know you'll grow into them or they would grow into you or however you say that damn saying," Tsunade said while pointing at the girl's chest. The pinkette blushed slightly out of embarrassment as she watched her teacher down another cup. "I would know, it happened to me. Jiraiya used to pick on me because I had such a flat chest, but look at me now."_

"Hello? Earth to Sakura!"

"Huh? What?" Sakura asked as she stopped Ino's hand from waving in front of her face.

"You were completely gone for a second there."

"Sorry, I was just thinking," she replied.

"What about?" Tenten asked, wading over to the duo.

"Probably Sasuke-kun," Ino said, causing Hinata to giggle at Sakura's slightly pink cheeks. The pinkette huffed, but didn't deny it because she really didn't want them knowing what she was really thinking about because she felt that some memories are meant to be kept to one's self.

"Whatever pig," Sakura said. Ino stuck her tongue out childishly at Sakura.

"Well, kiddos, I think we should start getting out of here before we start turning into prunes," Tenten said.

"Let's go get something to eat," Ino mentioned as she followed Tenten's action of standing up.

"Yeah, I'm starving. I don't have much in my fridge left after having Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai stay at my house to wait out the storm. Hinata, your boyfriend has an endless pit in his stomach, I swear."

Hinata giggled and nodded. "I don't even know how you deal with that. You must have to have a pantry fully stocked or something."

"Something like that," the shy girl mentioned as they all walked into the changing room.

After leaving the bathhouse, the group of four headed down the main street looking for a place to eat some good food.

"Please no ramen," Sakura groaned as they stopped in front of Ichiraku's. "I mean I love and enjoy ramen, I really do, but when you have Naruto as a teammate and best friend, you can get sick of it really fast."

"How about sushi?" Hinata suggested.

"Or curry?" Tenten piped in.

"Anything except ramen," Sakura stated.

"Let's flip for it," Tenten said, pulling out a coin. "Heads curry, tails sushi." Tenten flipped the coin and they all watched as it landed on the ground in front of them. "Sushi it is!" Tenten said, picking up her coin.

"I know this great sushi place," Ino said, turning around. "Come on!" The platinum blonde led the way.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ame-No-Mi Kumari stood on the piece of land where the river connected to the sea and watched as the waves calmed themselves for a moment.

"My Lady, what is going on?" a black-haired Amabie asked, appearing out of the water with her sister.

"Ah, Shiomi," Ame-No-Mi Kumari acknowledged.

"My Lady," Shione began worriedly. The goddess eyes shifted to the light blue-haired Amabie.

"It's just like twenty years ago," Yohei, the Shachihoko, said appearing next to Shiomi. "It's just as you say Yohei," the goddess said, eyes scanning the vast amount of water before her. "However, this time, the storm is more fierce."

"What will happen, My Lady?" Shione asked.

"Time will only tell my child," she answered, hearing the thunderous surf once again.

"My Lady," Rio said, scurrying up to the goddess's side.

"Yes child," she said, turning to face him.

"Precautionary measures have been taken just as you have commanded."

"Very good," she responded before leaving the company of the two sisters and Yohei. "We have to make sure _that_ human does not stumble across our land," Ame-No-Mi Kumari said as she entered her study in the mansion.

"And Rio?"

"Yes My Lady?" the green Kappa asked, peering up at his master.

"Contact the monk of the main temple."

"What shall I tell him My Lady?"

"You shall deliver a message to him. Return in a half hour's time."

"Yes My Lady," Rio said before scurrying off.

"He is after all the only one we can trust," Ame-No-Mi Kumari said to herself.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"My, my, you haven't aged a day since I last saw you Princess, though I have heard talk of the beautiful Hokage."

Tsunade's eyes followed every movement of the person in front of her.

"Are you curious as to why I am here?"

"Seeing you before me means that it has to be something important."

"Very important indeed."

"Shizune," Tsunade said turning to the dark haired lady, "dismiss everyone on this floor immediately."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said shocked. Dismissing every shinobi on the top floor? Has Tsunade lost her mind? Every last barrier of protection will be gone. Is it really okay to trust this person before them?

"Shizune! Don't make me repeat myself!" The woman hurried out the room to dismiss the shinobi for the day.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Gosh, I'm full," Ino said as they walked down the main street.

"Agreed," Tenten said while rubbing her full stomach lightly.

Sakura smiled at the two before looking up at the sky. "It's evening already," she mentioned looking at the sunset. The pinkette loved seeing the sky painted in sunset colors.

"What's that?" Hinata asked noticing something above them. Sakura squinted her eyes slightly as she looked at the object circling over her head.

"A messenger bird," she answered, holding her arm out for the creature to land. Once she took the slip of paper from the bird's right foot, it flew off.

"A mission?" Ino asked curiously.

Sakura shook her head. "Tsunade just says to meet with her tomorrow morning."

"That's it?" the blonde asked and Sakura nodded affirmatively.

"I should get going though," Sakura said as she turned in the direction of her house. "Never know if it could be a mission so it's better for me to turn in early."

"All right," Tenten said.

"Well, see ya around Forehead."

"Sure will Pig. Bye guys." With that said, Sakura headed straight home to get some much needed sleep. Whenever Tsunade called her, she always lost some valuable sleeping time. This time, however, she was going to be prepared.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The wind blew harshly throughout the temple and the chimes rang loudly in the ears of the monks. Yuusuke narrowed his eyes, sensing the presence of something within one of the chambers of the temple. "Continue with your meditations," Yuusuke said to the other monks as he stood up. "Yes, Master," the others chimed. Yuusuke left the room, shutting the door tightly behind him and hurried to the hidden chamber.

"Who enters this chamber?" he asked as the door closed behind him.

"I am here by My Lady's wishes," Rio stated, coming to stand in front of Yuusuke.

"You are Rio," Yuusuke said, recognizing the Kappa.

"You seem to have remembered me," Rio responded.

"What do I owe the honor of meeting thee today?"

"A message from My Lady," Rio answered, handing over a sealed scroll with the goddess's seal. Yuusuke took the scroll from the Kappa's small hand. "My Lady shall be waiting for a response," Rio stated before leaving the monk's presence.

Yuusuke broke the seal and opened the scroll, reading its contents.

_Monk Yuusuke,_

_I am sure you are aware of the disturbance occurring in my world. This is the second time something of this nature is occurring. The first happened twenty years ago when you were appointed as head monk of the temple. I am certain you remember Kenta Haruno, the one who I gave my jewel to. _

_'Of course I remember him,' _Yuusuke said to himself before continuing on.

_I also believe you remember the incident? It appears that __he__ has returned. Do not take him lightly for he is a sly and clever being. I assume that he has an informant within the village. Not one word is to be spoken. Avoid talking with villagers and fellow monks and priests for I believe he feeds off of the gossip which leads me to believe his informant is residing in a heavily populated area. According to the last time we communicated, you informed me that that man had left five years ago. It would be wise to check those who entered the village around the same time he left._

_You are highly trusted Monk Yuusuke and you will be rewarded accordingly. Also..._

Yuusuke closed the scroll and walked over to the end of the room. Performing several hands signs opened a door which led to a staircase which spiraled downwards. Walking down several feet, he performed another series of hand signs and a drawer opened. Placing the scroll inside, he sealed the drawer and left the room, returning to the other monks in the meditation room.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sakura sighed for the tenth time in a row and turned on her side to stare out the window. She just couldn't understand why she couldn't fall asleep. Glancing at her clock, she saw 2:45 am staring back at her in red. Sighing once again, she buried herself into her covers and looked up at the moon, noticing a big gray cloud steadily approaching the ball of light. She vaguely recalled the same type of cloud looming overhead on that stormy day at the training grounds. _'It's going to rain,' _she thought to herself, watching as the cloud slowly moved over the moon. Soon enough, just as she predicted, rain started falling, hitting against her window. The pinkette turned her back to the window and buried her head in her pillow, hoping to fall asleep soon. Eventually, at around 3:25 am, she fell asleep.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kira picked up the old book and walked into his room, shutting the door behind him. _'If the jewel is recorded in here, does that mean others are as well?' _The boy took a seat on his bed and opened the book to the marked page and began reading. It was just as his uncle told him, however, the book also told of the tide jewels Ame-No-Mi Kumari received from Watatsumi.

"Five tide jewels embedded in gold was given to the goddess in the form of a bracelet at her coming of age ceremony from Watatsumi," he read.

"Interesting," he murmured, running his fingers across the page. If he could, he would get that bracelet as well. But he wondered why his uncle was solely focused on the jewel when he could aim for more than one treasure. According to this book, there was more than one valuable object, but then again the book also said that the jewel given by Izanagi was filled with unimaginable power. "To think that such things manage to exist in this world."

The sun shined through the windows as Kira left his room. If there was a book like this in one small village, imagine what other villages must have hidden about such treasures.

"Good morning," he said to his uncle as he plopped down into the seat across from the older man who grunted out his morning greeting.

"This jewel," Kira began, "there might be others of its kind don't ya think?" His uncle paused from eating his breakfast. "I read of the tide jewel bracelet. Don't you think we should take possession of that as well."

Nozomu smirked as he saw a bit of himself in Kira now. The boy had yet to taste greed, but already he was desiring the jewel. "Patience," Nozomu stated. "We will get the jewel."

"But the bracelet," the boy protested.

"Would be harder to receive as it is in the possession of the goddess herself," Nozomu finished. Kira looked longingly at the bracelet displayed before him on the worn out page. "If only I could take you," he said. Nozomi hid his smirk behind his teacup.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sakura groaned in displeasure as her alarm went off loudly. "Five more minutes," she whined, hand aimlessly searching for the snooze button. She huffed in annoyance and sat up, glaring at her clock. "I'm up, I'm up," she snapped, finally managing to press the button to stop the noise. The girl fell backwards on her bed and glanced out the window, seeing more gray clouds in the sky. "Why can't I stay home on rainy days?" she asked herself before sluggishly making her way to the bathroom. After half an hour she was already in the kitchen, grabbing a slice of toast before locking her front door.

She took her time walking to the Hokage tower since she had fifteen minutes to spare. _'If Shishou woke me up so early for a sake run, I swear she will never taste a drop of it for a whole week.' _The pinkette continued grumbling to herself as she finished off her toast. In the distance she heard the faint rolling of thunder and hurried her pace to reach the tower before the rain started to make an appearance.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

_Knock Knock_

"Enter," Tsunade commanded, watching as the door opened to reveal her pink-haired student. "Right on time," the woman stated as Sakura came to stand before her. "You're curious as to why you are here, I bet. I'll begin when the others arrive."

"So it is a mission," the pinkette stated, causing Tsunade to nod. The pinkette looked through the windows behind Tsunade to see the clouds moving at a steady pace. Tsunade noticed Sakura's gaze and glanced out the window as well before turning her attention to Shizune who entered the room. In five minutes time, Sasuke showed up and then Hinata as well.

"Most of you are here already so let's get started," the Hokage said.

"Wait for me," Naruto hollered, running into the room and stopping short of Tsunade's desk.

"Now that all of you are here, I can begin. Shizune!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the black-haired woman ducked out the room silently.

"Because of the difficulty of this mission, it has been placed under the S-rank category," Tsunade began, eyes sweeping over each one of them. Naruto's grin widened and he held back the urge to whoop in joy when Tsunade glared at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "This is an escort mission to a village located in the area of the Land of Waves."

"So who are we escorting?" Naruto asked excitedly. "A lord? A prince? A princess?"

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune said escorting someone into the room.

"Ah," Tsunade said, turning her attention to the newcomer. "This is Yoshie," she said, gesturing to the person behind the four. They all turned slowly, and Sakura had to stifle a shriek of surprise at the blue, child-like reptilian. The pinkette slightly shrank back against Sasuke as she watched the creature before them. "Yoshie is a Kappa," Tsunade explained, drawing the attention back to her, "and an acquaintance of mine."

"So our mission is to guard this thing?" Naruto asked, slightly stepping forward towards Yoshie.

"Naruto," Tsunade warned, not taking his disrespect lightly.

"Sorry," he said, stepping back.

"Forgive me for interrupting princess, but may I ask who is the granddaughter of Haruno Kenta," Yoshie said.

"Ah yes," Tsunade said. "Sakura, step forward towards Miss Yoshie and introduce yourself." Sakura hesitated slightly, but nonetheless stepped forward and politely introduced herself to the blue Kappa. Yoshie smiled at her and instead of being scared of the creature, Sakura felt comfortable. She returned the smile as she noticed the warmth burning inside the Kappa's eyes. _'She mentioned my grandfather's name. She must have been acquainted with him,' _the pinkette thought.

Tsunade cleared her throat and Sakura took her place next to Sasuke. "Your mission is not to guard Yoshie per se." This caused the Hokage to receive confused looks from the team assembled in front of her. Before Naruto could open his mouth to ask who they were guarding, Tsunade spoke. "Your mission is to escort and guard Haruno Sakura to the village in the Land of Waves."

"W-what?" Sakura asked confused.

"Uchiha Sasuke you are the leader of this mission and your second in command is Hyuuga Hinata. The four of you will journey by yourselves so as not to raise any suspicion. A larger group would draw unwanted attention. In addition, Yoshie will remain here to give and receive information. Yuuga shall travel with you," Tsunade said as Yoshie stepped forward to present a baby Shachihoko to Sasuke. Sakura felt her dizzy. Why was she the one to be guarded? What was going on?

"Tsunade-sama," she began, ignoring the pain pulsing in her temples, "why am I the one to be escorted? What is going on?"

"You, Haruno Sakura, granddaughter of Haruno Kenta, hold within your possession something of utmost importance!"

* * *

**Second chapter completed. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Reviews make me as happy as me updating makes you happy, haha. **

**Index:**

**Izanagi - the paternal grandfather of Ame-No-Mi Kumari; a diety born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology. **

**Minato-No-Kami - the father of Ame-No-Mi Kumari; the god of rivers and estuaries**

**Watatsumi - a legendary Japanese water dragon who is the ruler of seas and oceans; he had in his possession tide jewels**

**Amabie - a legendary Japanese mermaid who either brought abundant harvest or an epidemic**

**Shiomi - beautiful tide**

**Shione - sound of the tide**

**Yohei - flat sea**

**Shachihoko - an animal who has the head of a tiger and the body of a carp; is believed that this animal can cause rain to fall**

**Yuusuke - meditate**

**Tide Jewels - magical jewels used to control the tides**

**Yuuga - tender river**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks you so much for the reviews! Not much to say.**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own. **

* * *

"You, Haruno Sakura, granddaughter of Haruno Kenta, hold within your possession something of utmost importance!" Tsunade boomed with her eyes fixated on the pinkette.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, her voice pleading for an explanation as to what was happening. As far as she knew, she owned nothing of the sort; not even an heirloom passed down from generation to generation.

"You will leave at noon," Tsunade said to the rest of the team. "Sakura stay a while. The rest of you are dismissed." Sakura's emerald green eyes followed her friends as they filed out the room.

"Shishou," the pinkette began, facing Tsunade. "I don't understand."

"It is not my place to say anything to you," Tsunade responded. "You will have to wait till you reach the village to have your questions answered, but for now just trust these people. They were, after all, old friends of your grandfather." Sakura sighed in defeat and rubbed her aching temples. This was not what she was expecting. A mission? Yes, she was totally ready for that. A mission protecting her? What the freaking hell.

"Miss Sakura," Yoshie began, bowing before the pinkette, "it is an honor to meet you." Sakura watched as Yoshie stood up straight again. "Please do not be distressed. This predicament is unwanted but I assure you everything is well." The pinkette did her best to offer a smile down at Yoshie, but her head was swimming with too many things.

"Sakura," Tsunade said seriously, drawing the pinkette's attention. "If at any time on this mission the team is ambushed, you must take Yuuga and flee."

"W-what?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "I can't do that. I can't," she shook her head, "no, I won't abandon them." Kakashi's words rang in her head. If she abandoned her friends, she was worse than trash. Furthermore, how can she leave her most precious people to fight on the battlefield while she flees to safety. It just seemed wrong. "I can defend myself," the pinkette stated.

"I know that Sakura," Tsunade sighed. "But you are not the protector on this mission, you are the one being protected. Therefore you must flee at all costs. You are the one in danger, not your comrades."

The reminder that she was the one to be protected stopped her from protesting anymore. She felt so overwhelmed, she didn't know what to do.

"It's a bad feeling not being able to do anything but run, leaving your comrades to fight while you escape to safety, but it can't be helped. Protecting you is the mission. And that's what they have to do, even if it is at _all _costs."

Sakura stood there, paralyzed. She heard the words loud and clear, but her mind felt like it wasn't registering anything Tsunade said anymore. The girl suddenly felt a warm touch on her calf and looked down to see Yoshie with a comforting hand on her right calf. _'I thought that her touch would have been cold and scaly. Something that would make me cringe.' _

"It will be okay Miss Sakura. The moment any harm comes to you or your team, I will suddenly appear. Do not fear."

"Thank you," the girl whispered in gratefulness. For some reason she believed in the words the Kappa said and she clung to them tightly.

"You are dismissed," Tsunade stated, sending the girl an apologetic look. Sakura nodded silently and turned to exit the room.

The door closed silently behind her and the pinkette exhaled deeply. Raising her eyes from the floor, her emerald orbs clashed with onyx. "Sasuke-kun?" she said confusedly watching the boy that was leaning on the wall across from her with his arms crossed against his chest. It was obvious that he was waiting for her. "Hn," he replied pushing off the wall to come stand next to her. His eyes glanced her over before he focused on the poorly concealed confusion and worry on the pinkette's face.

"Some mission, huh?" Sakura said breaking the silence between them.

"Aa," he replied, turning away to walk off. Sakura didn't feel offended by his action at all. She knew him well enough to know that this was his way of saying he was going walk her to her house. She smiled a little and caught up to him.

"Maybe you should go pack Sasuke-kun. We leave at noon and we have a couple hours left."

He snorted and she smiled a little, understanding that he was saying he had plenty of time to pack. "Hey, where is Yuuga?" Sakura asked noticing that the baby Shachihoko was missing.

"Naruto has him," Sasuke replied nonchalantly.

"Are you crazy?" Sakura asked, turning to face him. "What if Naruto accidentally kills that cute, little, baby fish?"

"He wouldn't," Sasuke assured. "And Sakura, Yuuga is a Shachihoko."

"I will still call him a cute, baby fish," the pinkette stated as the two came to a stop outside her house. Silence enveloped them briefly before Sakura spoke again. "See you in a couple of hours." With that she gave the raven-haired boy a small smile before entering her house.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ame-No-Mi Kumari watched the floating ball of water in front of her.

"I have met the granddaughter of Sir Kenta, My Lady," Yoshie said. The goddess watched the image of the blue Kappa that appeared in the ball of clear, bluish liquid.

"Have you now?" she asked, causing Yoshie to nod. "Describe her to me," Ame-No-Mi Kumari said as she took a seat on a plush cushion.

"Her eyes are as green as her grandfather's," Yoshie began. "Her hair is the color of cherry blossoms, her skin fair and smooth as silk. Her aura is comforting and there's fire in her eyes but also warmth. She is the apprentice of Princess Tsunade as well."

"What is her name?"

"Her name is Sakura, My Lady."

"Sakura," Ame-No-Mi Kumari repeated.

"The name is fitting My Lady. She is beautiful. When I saw her I thought that she could have been a deity out of our world."

"Is that so?" Ame-No-Mi Kumari asked smiling, trying to picture what the pinkette looked like. Yoshie hummed out her answer. "Is the Slug Princess with you?"

"Yes," Yoshie said before disappearing from the ball of water. Tsunade's face appeared after a couple of minutes.

"Princess," Ame-No-Mi Kumari greeted.

"My Lady," Tsunade answered.

"You haven't aged a day since I last saw you," the water goddess said, observing the blonde. "I heard that Sakura is your apprentice."

"She is," Tsunade confirmed. "The best one actually. She currently surpasses me."

"Really," the goddess acknowledged. "I remember that you were not a force to be reckoned with."

Tsunade laughed lightly. "I did take out a whole two squadrons with only one finger."

"It was a sight to see," Ame-No-Mi Kumari said, laughing along as well. "My servants were so surprised by your power."

"However, I must ask you honestly. What exactly is going on here?" Tsunade asked.

"Nozomu has once again began to chase after the jewel," the water deity sighed out. "But I fear this time, we might have more trouble on our hands. I sense that the seal that is on Fuzen the Bake-kujira is breaking."

Tsunade furrowed her eyebrows at this new piece of information. "Fuzen? How can that seal be broken? I remember the number of incantation seals and jutsu seals placed on him. There shouldn't be a way for him to escape."

"It seems that Nozomu got his hands on some very valuable information and is now working on trying to undo the seals on Fuzen."

"Unsealing Fuzen might start an uproar again, but why even bother unsealing the Bake-kujira?"

"Fuzen once claimed that the person who unsealed him would be able to use his power."

"Does that selfish being really believe the words of that Bake-kujira? Once the seal is undone, Fuzen has no use for him."

"There's a strong possibility of that happening, but I fear that if Nozomu is able to control Fuzen the way he wants, my world will fall apart. I would most likely be replaced and all my power would be in the hands of a rogue shinobi who is from another world. If he gains that power, then it is also a possibility that he would use it to control this world as well."

"And you need Sakura," Tsunade concluded. "Or more specifically the jewel."

"It is true having the jewel will increase my powers, but I refuse to take back the gift I gave to Kenta. I don't want it back. That is not the reason I want Sakura to be in my world. I summoned her to train her Princess. It is true that she has been trained under you, but there is a training she has not undergone as yet. Being able to use the jewel to her advantage is just one of the areas of training she will need to work on."

"One area?" Tsunade questioned confused.

"There is a lot more to the story you do not know Princess, but that is for another time. I will leave you with this however: Haruno Kenta will appear again. Farewell Tsunade. We shall talk again soon." With that said the ball of water disappeared from in front of Tsunade. The blonde Hokage blinked confusedly. _'Haruno Kenta will appear again? What is she talking about?'_

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Here is your tea sir," the server said to Nozomu, placing a cup of green tea in front of the man.

"Thank you," he said before the server disappeared.

"How much longer do we have to travel till we reach Konoha?" Kira asked before yawning slightly.

"It's almost noon," Nozomu said, "so we shall arrive in the evening."

"And then we look for that Haruno girl? Won't it be suspicious to villagers if outsiders are asking for one of the most well-known persons in the village?"

"Didn't you say she was a medical ninja?" Kira nodded at this. "We'll fake illness so she can assist us. Medics commonly help villagers no matter where they are from if they are not an enemy."

"If you say so," Kira stated, a sliver of doubt in his mind. _'What kind of medic nin just randomly help outside villagers? I've never heard of such a thing.'_

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sakura and Sasuke were the first to arrive at the village gates. "So," the pinkette began, not knowing what to talk about, but wanting to break the silence. "What do you think is this important thing I have in my possession?" The boy shrugged. "My guess is as good as yours," he answered. The pinkette sighed. This was just so unnerving.

"Ah, my headache is coming back," Sakura mumbled to herself, fingers coming up to rub at her temples. In a second Sasuke stood in front of her, eyes taking in her distressed form once again. He was about to remove her hands and use a technique he saw his mom use on his dad once, but was interrupted by Naruto's loud voice.

"Hey guys!" the blonde greeted with Hinata following after him. Yuuga was in the glass fishbowl in her hands. The quiet girl nudged Naruto so lightly, he thought that she bumped into him by accident until Yuuga whispered quietly to him. "You just ruined their moment," the baby Shachihoko said lowly and disappointedly.

"Huh?" the blonde said, picking the bowl up and drawing it up close to his face.

"I said they were having a moment and you ruined it," Yuuga repeated. Naruto's smile turned into a pout. "Sorry, I didn't know."

"If you would stop whispering to Yuuga and get over here, maybe we can go over the mission and come up with a team formation," Sasuke cut in, arms now crossed against his chest.

"So grumpy," Naruto said as he and Hinata walked over. Sakura took Yuuga from Naruto and held the bowl closely to her.

"You're so cute!" she exclaimed, wishing to cuddle him. The Shachihoko jumped out the water and did a little flip for her in the air, causing the pinkette to giggle.

"And you are very pretty, Miss Sakura," Yuuga replied kindly. The pinkette blushed from embarrassment and Sasuke hid his smirk as he watched her fumbling for words to say to the little creature.

He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and they all gathered around him. Bending down, he grabbed a stray branch and began drawing in the dirt. "Hinata will lead the group forward," he stated. "The Byakugan will be able to locate any danger ahead and around. Naruto, you will guard her blind spot and take this position," Sasuke drew a circle in the dirt and connected a line to it, indicating the exact place Naruto should be. "Sakura, you will be here," Sasuke said as he drew Sakura's circle close to Naruto's. "And I will be rounding up the back." They all nodded in understanding.

"Yuuga," Sasuke addressed the small Shachihoko, "how long of a travel will this be according to your estimations?"

"Sir Sasuke, I, myself, do not know. My Lady can call on you anytime she wants and you will automatically be where she wants you to be. Traveling by foot can take us maybe a day or two." Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement. So they could be teleported if the goddess so wishes it. Sasuke pulled out a map and laid it out in front of them. "This will be the resting stop," he said pointing to a small area halfway to their destination. "We should be arriving there an hour till sunset. And this," he said pointing to a unknown trail, "is the route we are taking."

"It's unknown," Naruto commented.

"Which means that we are less likely to be attacked," Sasuke concluded.

"And how would you know that?" Naruto asked.

"I've traveled on it before," the boy answered, pocketing the map. "It's deserted for the most part and doesn't run through any village." Naruto said nothing, but nodded. "Let's head out," Sasuke said.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sakura's grandmother looked up from her cooking once she heard a violent, rattling noise coming from her bedroom. Turning off the stove, she quickly went to the room and retrieved the box on the shelf behind the family portrait. Opening the lid, the stone inside glowed white. _'It's time to see the Hokage.' _

She picked up a black cloak and grabbed the stone out of the box before retreating to a secret passage in the house. She was told if the stone was ever to activate to go straight to the Hokage. After twenty long years of waiting to see if the stone would react, it finally did.

Once she entered the passageway, the door slid shut behind her and she heard the sealing technique being reactivated. Performing a couple of hand signs caused the torches on the walls to light up one by one and she followed the flames. She had finally been summoned by the goddess.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Soon I will be out," Fuzen said to no one. "Soon I will be released and hell will break loose. You may have captured me Ame-No-Mi Kumari, but you won't get rid of me. That worthless human is tampering with the seals. I will be released and you will be destroyed."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The clouds overhead began darkening at a fast pace and the sun was once again covered from sight. The wind picked up again and Sakura sighed in frustration. This abnormal weather was starting to annoy her. Judging at the speed they were going at and the time of day, she estimated that within the next hour or hour and a half they would be at the half way point where they would set up camp for the night. Aside from speed, they were traveling quite easily. Sasuke was right when he said that rarely any one took this route. The only person they came across was an elderly woman who was traveling to go to the next town to sell her home grown vegetables.

_'I wonder what my grandfather was like?'_ Sakura asked herself, remembering the pictures her grandmother showed her. _'He was in his late twenties in those pictures. I wonder how grandma coped with losing him so early?' _she thought before putting herself in her grandmother's shoes and Sasuke in her grandfather's. _'Snap out of it! Sasuke doesn't like you like that!'_ But once she entertained the thought, it stayed there and wouldn't go away. _'I wouldn't be able to deal with that easily,' _she finally thought to herself, imagining how her grandmother's life currently is. She slightly shook her head as she jumped off a tree branch. _'I have to stop thinking these things.' _Instead, she chose to focus on the mission, wondering what the village they were going to would be like and what exactly she had in her possession.

_'Wait,' _the pinkette said stopping her thoughts. _'I supposedly have something important in my possession that obviously Tsunade knows about and I am to be escorted and I assume protected until this mission is over. But why would I have to go to a foreign village to find out about it? Why is there even a need for me to go? This doesn't even make any sense. Wouldn't Konoha be the safest place for me right now? And what is with this Kappa appearing? I assume Yoshie is from this village, but why do I need to be here if I don't have anything with me?' _Sakura felt an instant headache appearing and the more she thought about it, the worse the pain was. _'I give up!'_

"We stop here for the night," Sasuke's voice said as they all slowed.

"Thank you Kami," Sakura murmured softly before dropping down to the ground below. She felt drained and all she really wanted was to try to sleep. At least then her mind would stop it's endless cycle of thoughts. Sasuke heard the pinkette's murmur before she landed on the floor below and he observed how she unceremoniously plopped herself down near the small pond of water that was below.

"Cool a pond!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping off his tree branch with Hinata following him. "The map didn't show a pond on it."

"It did Dobe," Sasuke replied as he landed soundlessly on the ground.

Naruto ignored Sasuke and set Yuuga down next to Sakura. The pinkette immediately took the fishbowl and placed it in her lap. She gave Yuuga a smile and then set him down close to her but also close enough to the pond so that he could peer in if he liked. "Are there fishes in there Miss Sakura?" he asked while looking down into the water.

"Maybe," she replied.

"Hey, hey, me and Hinata-chan are going to get the firewood," Naruto announced.

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura said, waving him off. "He sounds so excited. He's probably gonna have some 'alone' time with her," the girl muttered knowingly. She shook her head. _'Like me and Sasuke-kun won't know that you guys will probably end up making out on the floor.' _She rolled her eyes and listened to the two as they walked away from them.

"Do they like each other Miss Sakura?" Yuuga asked swimming away from looking at the pond to look at her instead.

"They do," she answered as she picked up the bowl once again. She brought it up to eye level and smiled. "Aren't they just the cutest?" she asked. The Shachihoko nodded.

"And what about you Miss Sakura? Do you like anyone?" he asked. Sakura blushed and her eyes slid over to Sasuke who was setting up the tents. "You like Sir Sasuke," Yuuga stated, now watching the dark-haired male.

"I've more than like him for a very long time," she whispered to Yuuga.

"So that means you love him right?" he whispered back. The pinkette nodded but sighed dejectedly.

"But he will probably never love me back and then I will become old and ugly and stay single forever. I might just end up like my Shishou. She might have lost the love of her life to death when she was young, but I will lose mine and he will still be alive."

"Don't say that Miss Sakura," Yuuga said swimming around in circles. He wished he could have been able to comfort her better, but he couldn't leave his bowl. _'Especially since I saw the way he looks at you. I may not have spent more than an hour in his hands, but I can see it.' _He did a little flip for her and she smiled slightly which made him flip some more. She giggled then. "See! You're smiling!" he said happily. The pinkette set his bowl down near the pond again.

"Thank you," she whispered. She leaned back on her arms and looked at the sky above. There was no way to accurately tell the time since the sun was completely covered, but if she was to guess, she would say that it was around six in the evening.

She breathed in deeply taking in everything around her, before whimpering in pain. Her head started aching badly and she brought her hands up to it, cradling it. The pain was so intense, she felt the world spinning. Her vision blurred and before she knew it she blacked out.

At the same time, Sasuke had just finished securing the back of the tent before going to check on Sakura, but he stopped short when he saw that she wasn't sitting in the place he last saw her. "Sakura," he called before noticing the pinkette was ankle deep in the water of the pond. "Sakura," he called again, walking towards her. He watched as she continued taking steps into the water ignoring him. "Sakura," he said one more time. When she didn't respond, he knew something was wrong and rushed over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around to face him.

Her eyes were glazed over and she looked dead to the world. "Sakura," he said, shaking her shoulders slightly. He got no response from the girl.

"She blacked out," Yuuga said worriedly from below. Sasuke looked down at the Shachihoko. "One minute she was fine and then she was holding her head in pain. Then she blacked out Sir Sasuke. And now she is like this. I tried calling to her, but it didn't work."

"Sakura," Sasuke repeated louder, shaking the girl firmly yet gently. "Sakura!" Still no response. The raven-haired boy started to feel himself panicking. "Sakura!" he said louder with a panicky voice, this time shaking her more.

"Wha-What?" She asked, reaching a hand up to her aching head. "Sasuke-kun?" she asked confusedly. "What happened?" she questioned, noticing that she was knee deep in the water of the pond.

Sasuke's grip on her shoulders relaxed and his tense shoulders hunched forward slightly and he looked into Sakura's clear, green eyes. His hands slid up to her cheek and he cupped her face gently as he watched her eyes closely. There were as bright and clear as windows and he breathed a sigh of relief. Sakura, however, blushed at his actions. She was also confused as well. How did she get in the water and why was Sasuke in front of her. The boy didn't even seem to notice that he still held on to her until she broke the silence.

"Um," she began, trying to stop herself from blushing.

"C'mon," Sasuke said, grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the water and over to one of the tents. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight anytime soon. If she had to go to the bathroom, well, that was too bad. Hinata could go with her whenever she returned, but for now, she had to stay put where he could keep an eye on her.

Yuuga watched the interesting display and smiled knowingly. _'If only you could see what I see Miss Sakura.' _

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune said while entering the room.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, signing some documents.

"Haruno Azumi is here," Shizune responding, causing Tsunade to raise her head up quickly.

"Azumi?"

Shizune nodded. "She says it's important."

"Let her in." Azumi entered the room.

"Hokage-sama," the woman greeted.

"What is it you wish to speak to me about?" Tsunade asked as Azumi's eyes slid to the Kappa in the room.

The woman fished around in her cloak sleeve and produced the glowing stone. Yoshie took notice of it and rushed over quickly. "Sir Kenta gave you it," she stated, causing Azumi to nod in agreement.

"He said if ever it was to activate, come here immediately."

"Yoshie, what is the meaning of this?" Tsunade questioned, honey colored eyes focusing on the Kappa.

"The stone was given to Sir Kenta to give to someone he trusted. When activated, it meant that something disastrous is occurring. I assume he told you to come here when it activated because he knew that I, or another, from my world would be present."

"So what happens now?" Azumi asked.

"Can I ask you one question?" Azumi nodded at Yoshie. "Were you present on that day?" Azumi furrowed her brows in confusion before her eyes widened in realization. She nodded and looked to the Kappa. "I will contact My Lady immediately for more instructions. Please wait patiently." The Kappa walked away from the two ladies and held out a small, scaly hand. Water appeared and immediately took the shape of a ball.

"Yoshie," Ame-No-Mi Kumari addressed.

"My Lady," the Kappa answered.

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**Not much to say except maybe drop a review. Also, the stone in Azumi's possession is not the jewel, just in case some of you came to that conclusion or thought of that possibility. **

**Index: **

**Fuzen - evil, imperfect, sin**

**Bake-kujira - a mythical Japanese yokai; a large, ghostly, skeleton whale that is usually accompanied by strange birds and fish. **

**Azumi - safe residence**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for the reviews! I know I am a little late on updating but I am happy for those of you who waited patiently for this!**

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"Yoshie," Ame-No-Mi Kumari addressed.

"My Lady," the Kappa answered. "Sir Kenta's wife is here."

"Ah, Madam Azumi." Yoshie nodded.

"The stone has activated."

"I see. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Let me speak with her." Yoshie carried the floating orb to Azumi who curiously looked at it.

"Madam Azumi," Ame-No-Mi Kumari acknowledged.

"My Lady," Azumi greeted, bowing her head respectfully.

"The stone has activated," the goddess stated, causing Azumi to nod and hold out her hand towards the orb. The goddess observed the glowing stone in Azumi's hand. Azumi's eyes observed the goddess through the ball of water. "Be ready," was all the goddess said before addressing the Kappa again. Azumi nodded and Tsunade watched on in confusion.

"Just what the hell is going on?" she mumbled to herself confused, rubbing at her temples. _'Now I understand what Sakura must be going through,'_ she thought to herself. "I need a drink," she stated to no one. "A damn lot of drinks," she muttered.

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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"So this is Konoha," Kira said as he watched the people walking around the market place. "It's so different than what I expected," he said as his eyes landed on the Hokage monument.

"We didn't come here to sightsee," his uncle stated, already making his way out of the market.

Kira caught up to him easily. "Where are we going?"

"To the hospital."

"Do you know where it is?" Kira questioned, shoving his hands in his pocket. He winked at two girls who were staring at him and they giggled in response. His uncle said nothing, making the boy sigh while shaking his head slightly. Kira walked over to the two girls. "Excuse me," he said charmingly. "My uncle is feeling ill and we are in need of the hospital. Can you tell me where it is?" He smiled boyishly at the two. "T-that way," the shorter girl stammered. "Just take the left and go straight," the other said blushing brightly. "Thank you," he said before walking away. He smirked as he heard them sigh.

"Well, come on. I know where it is."

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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Sakura sighed boredly. Ever since Sasuke dragged her out of the water, he never let her out of his sight. She couldn't even move an inch without him staring her down. She had tried to go retrieve Yuuga from by the pond, but Sasuke didn't let her. Instead, he went and brought the Shachihoko to her.

The pinkette blew strands of hair out of her face. Naruto and Hinata were already gone for a hour. She knew they wanted some 'alone' time, but hell, this was a mission. And it doesn't take that long to find firewood. Shit, she could just deliver a chakra-infused punch to a tree and instant firewood would be there ready to use.

"Are you bored Miss Sakura," Yuuga asked as he noticed her running her finger around the rim of the bowl.

"Mhmmm," she nodded watching as Sasuke calculated the distance around the perimeter to set up traps. She glanced down at Yuuga and smiled at him before suddenly thinking of asking him a question. "How old are you?"

"If I tell you, it just might shock you Miss Sakura," he answered.

"And why might that be?" she questioned.

"Because I am older than you," he replied.

"But you're still so small," she commented.

"Maturing takes a while," Yuuga said just as Naruto burst through the camp.

"Found the firewood!" he exclaimed as he walked over to the center of the camp. Hinata slowly entered the campgrounds as well, playing with the strands of her hair, but Sakura could clearly see the red mark on her neck, peeking out from her jacket.

_'Naruto really thinks me and Sasuke won't know, wouldn't he?' _The pinkette thought in pity. Her emerald eyes caught Sasuke's onyx ones and she immediately knew that he knew. She could already hear him saying 'Dobe' mentally.

"Just hurry up and help me set up the traps," Sasuke commanded, as he got the wires and explosive tags ready.

"Yeesh, I leave you guys for an hour and you're still so grumpy," Naruto commenting, walking over to Sasuke with his hands folded and resting against his head.

The raven head's left eye twitched in annoyance. "Hey! Watch where you're stabbing that thing!" Naruto exclaimed as the kunai Sasuke dug into the ground almost stabbed through his foot.

"Oops," Sasuke said smirking. Naruto grumbled to himself about 'the sex deprived, stick-shoved-up-his-ass Uchiha" while Sasuke started laying out the traps. The pinkette watched boredly as the blonde and the raven head went around the campgrounds.

"My butt hurts," the pinkette muttered causing Hinata to laugh. "Me and Hinata are going for a walk," she stated as she stood up, stretching her arms high. Sasuke eyes darted to her quickly before he nodded okay.

"No longer that fifteen minutes," he stated, causing the pinkette to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." She turned to Yuuga. "You'll stay here at camp, ok? I won't be too long."

"Have a nice walk Miss Sakura," Yuuga stated before the two girls started walking away.

"It's feels so good to be standing right now," Sakura mentioned as they walked further into the forest. "Sasuke didn't allow me to move from that spot at all. I even told him I had to pee and he told me to either hold it till you get back so I can go with you or if I was desperate, he would come with me and wait like maybe a couple feet away while I did my business behind a bush. Do you know how horrifyingly embarrassing that would be? Put yourself in my shoes and imagine having Naruto close vy while you're doing your business." Sakura noticed the pink blush on the girl's cheeks. "On second thought, don't think about that, it might lead you to think of more," the pinkette cleared her throat, "interesting things." Hinata's faced flamed at this.

"S-s-sakura!"

"You're not as innocent as you look Hinata," Sakura sang before disappearing into the bushes up ahead. Hinata let her go do her business and leaned against a random tree while she waited.

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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A ball of water had suddenly formed in front of Yoshie and Ame-No-Mi Kumari's voice rang out throughout the room. "Yoshie."

"Yes, My Lady?" the Kappa answered.

"Describe Sakura's teammates to me," she stated.

"My Lady?" Yoshie asked confused.

"Do not worry about it my child; just describe them to me."

"Yes My Lady," Yoshie said before telling the goddess about Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata.

"An Uchiha, eh? A clan whose name and power has spread throughout this land." The goddess cut the connection off shortly and called for Rio.

"Yes My Lady?" he asked after rushing into the room.

"Take this to Monk Yuusuke," she said, handing the green Kappa a sealed scroll. Rio accepted it and bowed before leaving the room hurriedly.

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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Yuusuke sighed as he hunched forward towards the table in front of him. For the past couple of hours he had locked himself in his room to search through the records of all the inhabitants of the village, but so far he had no luck finding anything. He watched the flickering flame of the candle and sighed again before gathering the papers into a neat pile and hiding them in his room. Maybe after dinner he would be able to find out something worth looking into or maybe he would go back to all the records in the other room and see if he missed anything.

As Yuusuke left his room, the wind picked up and the chimes began ringing loudly. His original path to the dining area was diverted as he made his way to the secret room only he had access to. Upon entering, he found Rio there waiting for him with a message in his hands.

"Good evening Rio," he greeted.

"Good evening Monk Yuusuke," Rio said as he handed over the message. "This is from My Lady. Read it in your spare time." With that said, the Kappa bid him farewell and left the room. Pocketing the scroll in his pocket, Yuusuke sealed back the room and headed towards the dining area.

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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Azumi had been placed in another room of the Hokage Tower with Yoshie for the time being until she was needed. She fiddled with the glowing stone in her hands and she thought about everything. It was still shocking to her that the stone activated.

"Madam," Yoshie addressed. Azumi's eyes slid to the creature.

"Yes?" she asked politely.

"I am sorry I was not able to properly introduce myself to you especially since you are the wife of our great Sir Kenta," Yoshie said before bowing. "My name is Yoshie and I am My Lady's right hand while Rio, whom you have met before, is her left."

"It is an honor to meet you. I heard you were attending to other matters when I was in the presence of the goddess."

"Sadly, I was. It was unfortunate that I did not get to meet you or say farewell to Sir Kenta." Silence enveloped the two as they sat comfortably.

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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Nozomu and Kira walked directly to the front counter of the hospital lobby as soon as they stepped foot through the door.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the desk asked.

"We are here to see Miss Sakura," Kira answered, putting his charms to work.

"I'm sorry, but Doctor Haruno is not working. She has been given a break from hospital duties for a while," the nurse replied unmoving.

"Do you know where she is?" asked Kira.

"I do not," the nurse said following protocol. They were not allowed to give the whereabouts of any doctor or nurse to a foreign villager for security reasons. It was a new rule set in place by the Hokage. "Do you have an appointment scheduled for today?"

"No we do not," Kira answered.

"Since Doctor Haruno is not here, you will see another doctor today. Since you are a walk-in patient, these papers need to be filled out and handed back to me. Please take a seat."

"What do we do now?" Kira hissed as they walked away from the nurse behind the desk.

"Leave," Nozomu said as he headed straight for the door. Kira sighed as he followed after him.

"How do you plan to find her when it's already late at night?"

"We can always start looking for her in the morning," Nozomu said as they both walked back on the main road, looking for an inn to spend the night at.

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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"I still can't believe that you did nothing with that hour I left for you guys to spend alone," Naruto whispered as he grabbed his chopsticks to start devouring the ramen he brought with him. Sasuke didn't bother to waste his breath responding to the blonde. Instead, he added more wood to the fire and turned the pieces of rabbit meat that were skewered with sticks.

"Fine, give me the silent treatment but just know that next time I won't give you an hour," Naruto said childishly.

"Shut up Dobe," Sasuke said.

"I will not!" Naruto stuck his tongue out and Sasuke felt his eye twitch in annoyance.

"One more strike," Sasuke warned. Naruto stuck his tongue out again and started poking fun at the dark-haired male. He didn't even see Sasuke's fist heading towards his head and before he knew it, he was sprawled out on the ground with spilled ramen on top of him.

"TEME! MY RAMEN! HOW COULD YOU?!" he exclaimed before pouncing on Sasuke. Sakura walked in on the two of them rolling around on the floor, punching each other in the head. She let out an agitated sigh and stomped up to the duo, grabbing them each by the collar and pulling them apart.

"Would you two stop acting like kids."

"But he spilled my ramen!"

"Hn."

"See! He is so mean to me! Sakuraaaaa-chaaaannnn!"

The pinkette sent a fist flying his way and Naruto found himself sprawled out on the ground in front of Hinata. "Just finish setting up," Sakura grumbled before taking her previous seat. Yuuga watched the exchange in fascination. It was the first time in his life that he was able to witness something so different from the life back in his dimension.

"Fine, but there is no way I'm sharing a tent with that Teme," Naruto said, sitting up with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Like I want to share a tent with you," Sasuke replied.

"Everyone wants to share a tent with me! In fact, Sakura and Hinata can sleep in my tent and you and your broody self can sleep all alone."

"No," Sasuke growled causing Naruto to shrink back.

"Fine, Hinata and I will share a tent and you and Sakura will share a tent," Naruto said, ending their dispute.

"Excuse me, but don't we have a say in it?" Sakura butted in.

"No," both men replied.

"Well then," she huffed. _'At least I don't have to share a tent with Naruto_,' she thought. _'Maybe me and Sasuke could just stick Yuuga in their tent so they won't be at each other all night.' _A small, mischievous grin broke out on her face.

"Fine, we'll stick with this sleeping arrangement, but Naruto?"

"Yes?" he questioned.

"Yuuga stays in your tent for the night. No arguments," she stated with a tone of finality. Sasuke smirked as he realized her reasoning quickly.

"Eh?"

"Let's go hunt for dinner shall we?" the pinkette asked, ignoring the blonde.

"Poor Sir Naruto," Yuuga said to himself before Sakura walked over to retrieve him from where he was looking on at everything.

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XxXxXxXxXxXxX

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The earth shook fiercely and the water deity grabbed onto the desk in her study while watching the books on the shelf shake and the ornaments on her desk rattle. She surrounded all the furniture in her room with a water barrier and tightened her hold on the desk.

"Rio!" she yelled. The green Kappa came stumbling in and grabbed the doorframe for support. "Report to me what is happening."

"M-my L-lady," Rio began, sinking to the floor, "another seal is being released as we speak. Half of it has already disappeared."

"And what of the incantation spells and seals?" The shaking suddenly stopped and the Kappa stayed in his position on the floor.

"All are intact My Lady. Not one of them has been tampered with," Rio reported.

Realization hit the goddess. "He can't undo the incantations as yet. He has no knowledge of how to stop them from confining Fuzen." Hurriedly the goddess made a water connection to Yoshie in the other dimension. "Yoshie!" she said in a voice of authority. "Get ready to reverse summon Tsunade and Azumi here now!"

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**Please comment and let me know what you thought about this chapter. **


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